“HOOOO—YAWWWWWWW”
JC
and Justin turned at the sound. Justin instinctively stepped away from JC as 185
pounds of Fatone came at them at a run. Justin knew what this meant, and smiled
broadly as Joey picked up JC and twirled him around on his shoulders. It was a
routine that Joey and JC had been doing since before Justin knew them, and
always made JC laugh.
“Hey
kid!” Chris said, coming up with Lance and hugging Justin.
Justin
hugged his two band mates back. “Oh, it’s good to see you guys,” he said,
holding them just a bit too long.
Chris
pulled back and searched Justin’s face. “That bad?” he asked.
“No,
not bad at all,” Justin tried to reassure him. “But he needs everyone right
now.” Justin cocked his head at Chris and Lance. “Wait a minute. How did you
know where we were?”
“Because
I called them,” a voice said. Justin looked behind Chris and Lance as
Professor Xavier approached. “You must be Chris and Lance,” he said, holding
out a hand.
The
*Nsyncer’s shook Professor Xavier’s hand, nodding. “Yes, sir,” Lance
replied. “Thank you for letting us come and see JC.”
“You’re
most welcome,” he replied, looking up as Joey approached, JC on his back. JC
slid off as Joey shook hands. “I’ve given you a suite next to JC and
Justin’s room,” he told them. "I hope that will be acceptable.”
“That’s
great,” Joey said. Chris and Lance were now hugging JC, teasing and tickling
him.
“JC,”
Professor Xavier called. “I realize your friends just got here, but we need to
get back to work.”
Justin
watched as JC’s face fell a bit, but he nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said,
hugging Lance, Joey and Chris one more time. “I’ll catch up with you guys
later, okay?” They nodded. “Good.” He leaned toward Justin and kissed him
quickly. “Relax, baby. I’ll be fine.”
Justin
watched as JC and Xavier walked away until a hand was waved in front of his
face. He turned to smile at Joey.
“We
missed you both,” Joey said, pulling Justin close to him.
“We
missed you, too,” Justin said. “Let’s get you settled in.”
“So,
here’s the deal,” Justin told them. “JC is what is now being referred to
as a mutant and he can move stuff with his mind. This place is a school for
mutants, and Professor Xavier is helping JC understand his powers. There’s
some weird guy is after him who wants to study him, and his parents have
disowned him.”
Three
sets of eyes blinked at Justin. The boys were in the suite next to JC and
Justin’s. Lance, Chris and Joey had demanded Justin tell them what was going
on the minute the door had closed. Justin watched them try to digest what he had
told them. He knew they all loved JC, but Justin also knew JC had always been a
bit of a puzzle to them. He watched as they exchanged a glance, coming to some
kind of silent group decision.
As
usual, it was Chris that spoke for the group. “So?”
Justin
released the breath he didn’t know he was holding, smiling at his friends.
“I love you guys,” he told them.
Chris
shrugged. “We love you, too. And JC. So whoever or whatever he is, is
immaterial to us.”
“That’s
right,” Lance agreed.
Joey
nodded. “He’s just JC, powers or no powers.”
“However,
I’m more concerned with the other stuff,” Chris said. “The guy who wants
him and his parents? What’s that all about?”
“I
wish I knew more,” Justin lamented. “But according to JC, this guy, Doctor
Essex, has been using his parents and others to control his powers.”
“How?
Who?”
“By
giving him drugs,” Justin explained, but was reluctant to add the rest.
Chris
sensed Justin’s hesitation. “His parents and who?” he demanded.
“Lou
and Bobbie.”
A
low whistle escaped Lance’s lips.
“The
son of a bitch,” Joey cursed. “The Fat Bastard, I could see, but Bobbie?”
Joey shook his head in disbelief.
Justin
nodded, watching with fascination as Chris’ eyes hardened. He almost felt
sorry for Lou and Bobbie. Chris was a master at revenge, and Justin was certain
that somehow, someday, they’d both pay for hurting JC. He nodded his approval
at Chris, whose smile was filled with evil intent.
“That
was fun,” JC said, shutting the door of their room.
They
had had dinner in the school’s dining room with Chris, Lance and Joey.
They’d had a good time, laughing and playing and generally acting like
children. Chris had teased JC so much he’d let finally let loose, using his
powers to hurl a basket of rolls from the table at Chris, making the older man
peal with laughter. After that, the other two wanted JC to do something, and
he’d obliged, making Lance’s tea bubble and then lifting Joey’s pie,
threatening to smash the lemon cream into his face. All three boys were suitably
impressed.
After
dinner, JC surprised them by announcing that he’d made arrangements with
Professor Xavier to do an impromptu show for the school. It was just them,
acapella, but the children had loved it. They sang their special five-part
harmonies and they had never sounded better. Justin had tears in his eyes
watching and listening to JC as he sang “This I Promise You,” and noticed
the other boys had shiny eyes, too.
Justin
nodded. “Yes, it was great fun,” he agreed, pulling off his shirt and
tossing it into the closet. “You sounded beautiful tonight.”
“We
all sounded good,” JC countered.
“No,”
Justin shook his head. “There was something in your voice, something special
tonight. You were perfect. Every word, every note.”
JC
blushed. “Stop.”
Justin
smiled. “Am I embarrassing you?” he asked, joining JC on the bed. He lifted
a hand and played with one of the wild curls framing JC’s face. “You’re
perfection, Josh,” he whispered.
“You
just love me,” JC protested. “That’s why you think that.”
“Maybe
so,” Justin said. “But it doesn’t make it any less true.” Justin wrapped
his hand around JC’s neck, pulling his face close to Justin’s. “I also
know I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said, nibbling JC’s lips. “Because
I get to love you, and miracle of miracles, you love me back.” Justin closed
the distance between them, pressing his lips to JC’s.
The
kiss was soft and sweet and full of love. It reminded Justin of their first
kisses, way back to when they’d just discovered their love, when it was new
and exciting and scary and all things good. Justin pulled away a bit, looking
into the blue depths of JC’s eyes, seeing in his eyes the same thing Justin
was feeling. “I love you,” he declared.
“I
love you,” JC replied, pulling Justin close once more.
JC
awoke with a start. He turned and looked at the clock beside the bed.
1:25.
He
slowly removed Justin’s arm from where it was lying on his chest and rose from
bed. He watched Justin move around, frown in his sleep, then snuggle down once
more, this time holding JC’s pillow instead of JC. JC slipped on a pair of
sweat pants and a tee shirt before silently slipping out of the room.
He
walked down the hall silently, knowing instinctively where to go. He turned down
the dark corridors until he reached the room he needed. Unlocking the door with
his mind, he slipped inside.
The
panel to his left was the one the needed. Again, he used his mind, unlocking the
panel and catching it before it fell. He looked at the wires, reaching up and
pulling out the white and yellow ones. At the control box, he watched as the
alarm system was disabled. He replaced the wires, and the alarm was re-armed.
JC
replaced the panel door and relocked it. He left the room, relocking the door.
He returned to his room, disrobed, and joined Justin back in bed. He looked at
the clock.
1:30.
“I
told you there was something weird about this whole thing,” Logan said.
Professor
Xavier watched the monitor again. JC was clearly shown in the control room,
disconnecting the wires to the alarm system, then reattaching them. “Yes,
Logan,” he agreed. “I, too, felt it was too easy getting JC away from Essex.”
“So,
we move the alarm box now?” Logan asked. “Or put a guard in the room?”
The
Professor shook his head. “No, change nothing,” he ordered, holding up a
hand as Logan started to protest. “We need to see where this is leading, so we
keep JC unaware that we’ve seen his activities.”
Logan
was unhappy with the order, but knew that Professor Xavier was usually right
about these things.
But
he’d keep a close watch on JC, just the same.